---
# Daily Inspiration: “You are the sum total of all of your highs and each of your lows.“
**URL:** https://jimcarroll.com/2026/02/daily-inspiration-you-are-the-sum-total-of-all-of-your-highs-and-each-of-your-lows/
Date: 2026-02-06
Author: JimCarroll
Post Type: post
Summary: “You are the sum total of all of your highs and each of your lows.“ – Futurist Jim Carroll, via Lauren Daigle Some songs speak to your soul. And some lyrics reach out and grab you by the throat. This one did. It hits you right in the pre-chorus of Lauren Daigle’s “You Say.” She […]
Categories: Blog, Daily Inspiration
Featured Image: https://jimcarroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/HighsAndLows.jpg
---
*“You are the sum total of all of your highs and each of your lows.“* - Futurist Jim Carroll, via Lauren Daigle
Some songs speak to your soul.
And some lyrics reach out and grab you by the throat.
This one did.
It hits you right in the pre-chorus of Lauren Daigle's "*You Say.*" She asks the question: *"Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low?"*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIaT8Jl2zpI
The song came on while I was out for one of my first outdoor walks since my November spinal injury, and it hit the moment perfectly.
My answer to her question is: **Yes, you are more—but you are also the sum.**
You must accept the lows as a critical part of the process rather than pretending they don't exist. Otherwise, you'll never have the opportunity to learn from them.
In my career as a futurist, I tell clients that innovation isn't a straight line "*up and to the right.*" It’s a messy squiggly line of breakthroughs and failures. You cannot have the "*High"* of a new invention without the "*Low*" of the failed prototype.
If you delete the failure, you delete the lesson.
My incident has informed me. It has taught me that the "lows"—the pain, the confinement, the loss of the ski season, the frustration,was not lost time. It was valuable insight.
*It was the construction site where my resilience was being reinforced. *
Rebar for life, if you think about it!
When life throws you a curveball, you have to live through and *feel* the emotions, rather than trying to hide from them.
Don't edit out the lows. Own them. They are the only reason the highs mean anything at all.
---
## Categories
- Blog
- Daily Inspiration
---
## Navigation
- [Futurist Keynote Speaker Jim Carroll: Disruptive Trend & Innovation Expert](https://jimcarroll.com/)
- [HOME](https://jimcarroll.com)
- [WHY JIM?](https://jimcarroll.com/why-book-jim/)
- [SIGNATURE KEYNOTES](https://jimcarroll.com/signature-keynotes/)
- [BOOKS](https://jimcarroll.com/books/)
- [INDUSTRIES](https://jimcarroll.com/topics-trends/industry-focused-keynotes-with-futurist-jim-carroll/)
- [CEO/CxO EVENTS](https://jimcarroll.com/ceo-leadership-events/)
- [CUSTOMER / CLIENT EVENTS](https://jimcarroll.com/customer-client-user-group-keynotes-with-futurist-jim-carroll/)
- [Agriculture](https://jimcarroll.com/keynote_topics/big-trends-in-agriculture-what-will-the-worlds-oldest-profession-look-like-in-2045/)
- [Automotive](https://jimcarroll.com/keynote_topics/being-unique-simple-strategies-for-finding-your-creativity-accelerating-innovation-and-getting-to-your-future-faster/)
- [Construction](https://jimcarroll.com/keynote_topics/constructing-new-futures-the-acceleration-of-the-residential-and-industrial-construction-industries/)
- [Consumer Products](https://jimcarroll.com/keynote_topics/consumer-products-innovating-at-the-speed-of-instant-obsolesence/)
- [Education](https://jimcarroll.com/keynote_topics/industry-education/)
- [Energy](https://jimcarroll.com/keynote_topics/industry-energy/)
- [Financial Services](https://jimcarroll.com/keynote_topics/industry-financial/)
- [Food, Grocery and Restaurants](https://jimcarroll.com/keynote_topics/food-and-restaurants-innovation-and-disruption-at-the-speed-of-relentless-customer-change/)
- [Golf & Sports](https://jimcarroll.com/keynote_topics/future-trends-acceleration-of-golf/)
- [Healthcare](https://jimcarroll.com/keynote_topics/industry-healthcare/)
- [Insurance](https://jimcarroll.com/keynote_topics/industry-insurance/)
- [Manufacturing](https://jimcarroll.com/keynote_topics/industry-manufacturing/)
- [Media & Tech](https://jimcarroll.com/keynote_topics/from-lightbulbs-to-yottabits-leadership-agility-when-faster-defines-the-speed-of-fast/)
- [Retail](https://jimcarroll.com/keynote_topics/industry-retail/)
- [GLOBAL CLIENTS](https://jimcarroll.com/events-highlights/)
- [INSIGHT](https://jimcarroll.com/insight/)
- [THE BIG FUTURE](https://jimcarroll.com/topics-trends/big-future/)
- [2025 Strategies](https://jimcarroll.com/category/2025/)
- [DAILY INSPIRATION](https://jimcarroll.com/daily-motivation/)
- [TRENDS](https://jimcarroll.com/insight-index/?tag=trends)
- [INNOVATION](https://jimcarroll.com/insight-index/?tag=innovation)
- [BLOG](https://jimcarroll.com/blog/)
- [CONTACT JIM](https://jimcarroll.com/contact/)
- [Follow Me!](https://jimcarroll.com/follow-me/)
- [Daily Inspiration](https://jimcarroll.com/category/daily-inspiration/)
- [AI KEYNOTES](https://jimcarroll.ai)
- [AI MEGATRENDS](https://jimcarroll.com/ai-megatrends)
- [THE "BIG" FUTURE](https://bigfuture.jimcarroll.com)
---
## Footer Links
- [Jim's Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/futuristjimcarroll)
- [You'll find Jim's latest videos on Youtube](https://youtube.com/jimcarroll)
- [Mastodon. What's on Jim's mind? Check his feed!](https://futurist.info/@jimcarroll)
- [LinkedIn - reach out to Jim for a professional connection!](https://www.linkedin.com/in/carrolljim/)
- [Flickr! Get inspired! A massive archive of all of Jim's daily inspirational quotes!](https://www.flickr.com/futurist-jimcarroll)
- [Instagram - the home for Jim's motivational mind!](https://www.instagram.com/futuristjimcarroll/)
- [VIEW OTHER BOOKS](/books/)
- [ABOUT](https://jimcarroll.com/about-jim-carroll/)
- [WHY JIM?](https://jimcarroll.com/why-book-jim/)
- [TOPICS](https://jimcarroll.com/topics-trends/)
- [HIGHLIGHTS](https://jimcarroll.com/events-highlights/)
- [INSIGHT](https://jimcarroll.com/insight-index/)
- [BLOG](https://jimcarroll.com/blog/)
- [BOOK JIM](https://jimcarroll.com/contact/)
- [Who Designed This Website?](http://studio1design.com/)
- [Home – Main](https://jimcarroll.com/)
- [Highlights](https://jimcarroll.com/highlights/)
- [Videos](https://jimcarroll.com/videos/)
- [Daily Motivational Insight](https://jimcarroll.com/daily-motivation/)
- [Follow Me](https://jimcarroll.com/follow-me/)
- [Core](/glossary/)
- [Deep Dive I](/expanded-glossary/)
- [Deep Dive II](/expanded-glossary-volume-2/)
- [2026](https://2026.jimcarroll.com)
- [Megatrends](https://megatrends.jimcarroll.com)
- [Forward](https://forward.jimcarroll.com)
- [Tomorrow](https://tomorrow.jimcarroll.com)